Marilyn Emery

Marilyn Emery has been leading transformational change and reimagining the future of
healthcare in Ontario for over 25 years. Since 2007, as President and CEO of Women’s College
Hospital (WCH), Marilyn’s job and her passion have been to revolutionize health care for women
and girls. She has literally and figuratively broken new ground in Ontario ‐ overseeing a halfbillion
dollar redevelopment project to build Canada’s preeminent academic ambulatory hospital
with a focus on health for women and health system solutions. Her visionary ideas are reflected
within and beyond the walls of this new hospital that was designed to keep people out of
hospital.
Marilyn’s fundamental values saw her spearhead “A Thousand Voices for Women’s Health”.
Marilyn wanted to ensure that the new WCH would reflect the needs of the diverse communities
it serves. She commissioned a study asking over 1000 women ‐ covering the spectrum of race,
gender, age, sexual orientation and socio‐economic demographics ‐ what they want from a
hospital. The results from this study informed hospital design of services and models of care. A
2016 edition of the study is now informing the ongoing evolution of health service delivery for
women.
Prior to her role at WCH, Marilyn was the inaugural CEO of the Central East Local Health
Integration Network (2005‐2007), where she led the planning, co‐ordination and integration of
health‐care services reaching 1.4 million people and played a key role in the Ministry of Health &
Long Term Care Transformation Agenda. At St. Joseph’s Health Centre (1997‐2003), Marilyn led
turnarounds in financial and business performance, as well a attaining the greatest improvement
in patient satisfaction ever achieved by an Ontario hospital. And as President and CEO of
Markham Stouffville Hospital (1989 – 1997), Marilyn oversaw the construction of a new 220‐bed
community hospital – on time and under budget and led the organization to become the first
hospital to ever receive the National Quality Institute Canada Award of Excellence.
Her career‐long record of leadership and innovation in health‐care organizations has garnered
national recognition. In 2015, Marilyn was awarded the YWCA Women of Distinction Award and
was inaugurated into Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame in the category of
Public Sector Leaders.
Marilyn pushes the boundaries of innovation and is a trailblazer committed to bridging gaps in
the current health system. She is committed to building a community of leaders through
mentorship and volunteers on a diverse range of boards, government and hospital planning
committees. Marilyn holds a Master of Science in Nursing Education from University of Western
Ontario

  • Company:Women’s College Hospital
  • Short Bio: President & Chief Executive Officer
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